I was doing some research on Facebook yesterday, looking to see how funeral homes are using Facebook for their business. What promotional things are they doing? Are they using custom landing pages (upcoming video)? One thing I noticed the most was that funeral homes are using Profile pages and not fan or “like” pages to set up their funeral home account. This is not good!!!

Facebook designed “fan pages” for businesses. Watch the video to see some examples of why you should be using Fan pages and not profiles for your funeral home.

I received the following email from a member, who would of course, like to remain anonymous. It was brought to the funeral homes attention that the families they were serving were receiving a suspicious survey. The email and survey are below:

It came to our attention that our families have been receiving surveys from: National Consumer Interest Agency, Funeral Service Division, located in Charlotte, NC. After failing to find such organization, I suspected this came from our direct competitor based on the questions asked on the survey. I questioned them on this, and of course they don’t know anything about it. What’s interesting about this, is the postage paid envelope is going back to a residential address in Charlotte. I contacted the resident, and of course she had no idea what I was talking about. I still believe this is from our competition (Funeral Home Name Removed) but wanted to rule everything else out before I pursue this further with regulatory agencies in our state. Would you be willing to place this on CD, to see if there is any feedback from others on this?

PHOENIX – The funeral home director who has admitted to dumping piles of human remains into sprawling pits at his Bisbee cemetery will not be running the family business anytime soon.

The Arizona Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers revoked Paul Parker’s license, after a hearing that included a tense question and answering session between Parker and several visibly upset board members.

Parker admitted to the board that he had been dumping partially cremated remains of people who donated their bodies to medical research into an open field at Memory Gardens for more than five years.

“It seemed reasonable at the time. No longer does it. And it will not continue that way as long as I’m here,” Parker told the board.

Still, board members unanimously agreed that Parker violated a number of professional codes of conduct, including the commingling of human remains, incomplete cremation of bone fragments, and not properly securing his crematory. More specific examples include Parker’s use of air trays (wooden containers used to transfer remains) to build a fence alongside his crematory and storing remains in garbage cans before dumping them in the field.

“The funeral industry is about treating with dignity and honoring those whom we serve – the family members of those who are deceased or, in this case, the final disposition of body parts,” said President Katherine Shindel.

Board members also fined Parker $1,000 for every violation, but agreed to waive the costs if he showed compliance with state statutes within 60 days. They also required Parker to pay for administrative costs of the investigation.

“After all, these are people we’re talking about, not disarticulated parts. They’re people. I think that’s what he has to get through his head,” said board member Jim Ahearne, who wanted to revoke the license of Parker’s St. David crematory.

However, the board decided to only suspend the license of San Pedro Funeral Home & Cremation Services for 60 days and put it on probation for two years, requiring the facility to establish proper procedures to comply with state law. With the revocation of Parker’s license, the crematory would likely be taken over by Parker’s wife, whom he admitted also engaged in the same practices at the hearing.

“I am convinced that we have Mr. Parker’s full attention and I trust that the board staff to ensure they do not approve any procedures that are not in full compliance,” answered Shindel, who added the staff would make extra visits and surprise inspections to the facility.

The board created a task force to look into possible updates for current Arizona statutes to cover the handling of remains for those who donate their bodies to medical science.

However, some members say those new rules would be irrelevant in this case.

“You don’t need legislation or new laws to fix the things that were done here. You need a conscience,” Ahearne said.

From Germany – A Cologne funeral home is hoping to draw in gay clientele by offering erotic caskets with nude renaissance imagery or rainbow-coloured urns, along with other tailored services for homosexuals and their mourners.

A casket featuring the figures of muscular young men in athletic poses has been in the display case at Königsfeld & Brandl for the last three weeks.

The operators of the funeral home Thomas Brandl, 32, and Michael Königsfeld, 34, are themselves are a couple and aim to cater to both gays and lesbians in addition to straight customers.

Their ad reads: “Those who want a warmer, somewhat more fantastical departure, will find us to be a sensitive partner.”

They put gay customers in contact with special speakers and religious leaders for funeral services, organise natural burials in places where only other gays or lesbians have been laid to rest, arrange for graveside champagne toasts and colourful balloon decorations.

“There is also a casket in rainbow colours, but I think it looks awful,” Brandl says.

The mortician couple hopes tap into the community needs in the Rhineland city, one of Germany’s centres of gay culture where every tenth resident is estimated to be gay.

“Naturally there were people who threw their hands up in horror in front of the display window,” said Königsfeld.

But most passers-by are delighted by what they call their “gay caskets,” including women of a certain age, he added.

“We had a widow in the office whose husband we buried and she was quite taken with the firm young men on the casket,” he said.

In particular, women between the ages of 60 and 80 seem particularly open to the model, he said.

But one rival undertaker has called the caskets “borderline,” while another said he wasn’t sure such a casket provided a dignified burial.

Still Brandl and Königsfeld believe they are on the right track.

“It’s not easy for gays and lesbians to tell an undertaker that they must bury their life partner,” they said together in an advertisement. “In this most difficult of situations it is easier for them to have a contact person who understands them.”

Sacramento, California–On November 10, 2010, the Funeral Directors Service Corporation (“FDSC”) filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court against the Department of Consumer Affairs, Cemetery and Funeral Bureau (“the Bureau”). The lawsuit asks the Court to resolve disputed findings contained in an audit report issued on March 18, 2010, following the Bureau’s audit of the California Master Trust.

Mark Kuhn, President of FDSC, stated: “The California Master Trust, which has been in business since 1985, meets the needs of families who wish to set aside funds to pay for funerals in advance, alleviating anxiety and decision-making at the time of a loved one’s death. The Bureau’s audit findings are damaging to the Trust’s reputation and its ability to serve the consumers whose investments are safeguarded within the Trust.”

Kuhn further commented: “We have made extensive efforts to resolve our dispute with the Bureau regarding these audit findings, but the Bureau has threatened to take action against the Trust and the licenses of the individual funeral establishments who participate in the Trust. We are seeking the Court’s assistance in determining that the Bureau’s audit findings are wrong and unenforceable. We believe the audit is based on improper interpretations by the Bureau of the applicable laws and regulations governing California pre-need funeral trusts.”

For further information, contact Grace J. Bergen of Knox, Lemmon, Anapolsky & Schrimp, LLP, attorneys for FDSC at (916) 498-9911 or gbergen@klalawfirm.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Most people try to limit their funeral costs as much as possible, so that they do not become a burden to their surviving relatives. However, for others, money is no object (either because they are wildly rich or their funeral bill is to be footed by the public), leading them to ditch the standard local Clearwater funeral programs in favor of extravagant funerals that cost more than many people earn in their whole lifetime. If you fit into this category, here is a list of the most expensive funerals of all time – these ideas should provide a model to help you plan your own obscenely expensive funeral procession.

Von Hagens developed a way to preserve corpses by replacing body fluids and fat with plastic resin, and has launched a controversial series of global exhibits staging dead people engaging in activities from pole vaulting to having sex. He plans to sell bodies for some $97,000, torsos for $79,000 and human heads for $31,000.

He’ll also offer animals. Von Hagens insists he’ll only sell to doctors and scientists, but it’s unclear what kind of documents he’ll require to determine that. German Archbishop Robert Zollitsch slammed the move as disrespectful to the dead, notes the Independent. “This is not about new discoveries but about picking at bones and creating a spectacle under the guise of medical enlightenment,” he said. Von Hagens is often involved in controversy.